Sister Sophie Swenson has been called to serve in the California San Fernando mission! She reports July 1st 2015 and will return home January of 2017!

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Monday, September 21, 2015

Hello Family!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful week! :)

This week was a growing week for sure, I have had a lot of health problems like many of you may have heard since I have been out on my mission, and ive been wondering why I have to go through this and why cant I just be a normal missionary... but the lord likes us to learn and grow and stretch! It was really cool, I was sitting in church the other week pondering on why I was going through these things and what Heavenly Father wanted me to learn through it all... and I had this overwhelming feeling that I am going through these things/struggles so I can be able to help others cope with it later on in the future and with companions I will have! I know there is a reason why we go through everything, we may not realize why we have to at the moment but heavenly father has a reason behind everything! :) I love the talk by Elder Holland- "Like a Broken Vessel" it has helped me so much on my mission! Depression and Anxiety are such real things and so common now days! It says "Never lose faith in your Heavenly Father who loves you more than you can comprehend." "That love never changes. it is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. gods love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve it. it is simply always there." "If the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead." "Like a broken vessel that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter. broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed." This talk Is so amazing! I Know that Heavenly Father can help us overcome every challenge we face as long as we have faith that he can! All he asks of us is to do our best each day! :) I know the gospel can heal everyone if we will let it! The gospel is so amazing and I love it more each and everyday!

This week I have been studying more about faith! I was reading in Matthew 9:28-29 and it says half way down "Believe ye that I am able to do this? they said unto him, yea lord." "According to your faith be it unto you." Our Heavenly Father has given us so many blessings and we can receive those blessings if we have enough faith that we know we will receive them! I think that it is so cool in that verse how it says according to your faith be it unto you! its so true he blesses us and say well okay now its up to you to believe if it will really happen! :) I am so grateful for this gospel! and for my savior jesus Christ! He is always there for us and knows every pain and discomfort we feel!

Well on Wednesday we went to service and we do service at a Animal place and after service the lady that runs it told us we could go feed the deer with her! so I was able to feed a real life deer, I was in the cage and everything with it! it was so cool! :) I will send a picture next week! :) The work has been really slow the last couple of week, we haven't found any investigators and we aren't teaching anyone... but we did meet a potential investigator this week during knock out which was a blessing! He seems pretty interested so we will be setting up an appointment with him this coming week! :) We have been working with a lot of recent converts and less actives, which is fun! we have been able to bring back 3 people! I love seeing people come back to church and really seeing the light come back into their lives! It has been so cool to see Alexis coming each week and having greater strength to resist temptation! He has been reading 3 chapters a day in the book of Mormon and is preparing himself to take the sacrament again! :) The work is truly so great! I love being a missionary even though it is the hardest thing I have ever done, it is so worth every slammed door in my face, every hard day I have had, and every little moment of homesickness to see people come and change their lives to experience complete happiness! :)

I Hope you all have a great week! thanks for all your prayers and support! I truly have the best family and friends anyone could ever have!! :)